Test your speed, reflexes and boating knowledge with the Corps' new Lake Guard game app. The free app teaches users about water safety gear and boating hazards preparing them for real life experiences in or around the water.

The Missouri River Basin Balancer offers insight into the inland waterway of the Missouri River and its system of reservoirs, which are operated with a goal for serving each of the benefits, flood control, navigation, hydropower, irrigation, water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife, and water quality, for which the Mainstem reservoirs were authorized and constructed. Users can take charge of river operations and experience the unique challenges presented when managing reservoir operations in a variety of weather conditions across a geographically diverse basin.

Chatfield dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps leases 5,381 land and water acres to the State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation to operate Chatfield State Park.

Lake Francis Case and Fort Randall Dam are located within the rolling plain of the Missouri Plateau, and bordered by rugged bluffs, broken by a complex of eroded canyons and ravines and has become one of the most popular recreation spots in the Great Plains.
Fort Randall Dam lies within view of the military post from which it takes its name. The name of the original fort honored Colonel Daniel W. Randall, one-time deputy paymaster of the Army.

Dam and Hydropower projects are part of what makes the Corps the largest provider of water-based outdoor recreation in the nation. The Omaha District has several lake and river projects providing diverse recreational opportunities.

Visitors of all ages can enjoy traditional activities like hiking, boating, fishing, camping and hunting, and for those slightly more adventurous there is snorkeling, windsurfing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking and geo-caching. Regardless of your favorite outdoor activity one thing is certain, recreation enriches people's lives. A visit to an Army Corps of Engineers' recreation area can strengthen family ties and friendships; create unforgettable memories and connect people to nature that will last a lifetime.

Between 1932 and 1957, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built six main stem dams and many smaller dams along Missouri River tributaries. These, along with a system of federal and private levees, reduce flooding risks for urban and agricultural property and lives throughout the Missouri River watershed. The Omaha District estimates that this system has prevented an estimated billions in damages in today's dollars.

Many of these projects, which were built primarily for navigation, flood control or other purposes, are also used for hydropower production. The Corps is the Nation's largest single producer of hydroelectricity. Nationwide, the Corps operates 75 hydropower projects, housing 349 generator units with a total capacity of 20.7 million kilowatts, or about 3.5 percent of the Nation's total electric power production.

Recreation Area News Releases

A report has been developed and released for public comment for each of the following mainstem reservoirs: Fort Peck Dam/Fort Peck Lake, Mont.; Oahe Dam/ Lake Oahe, S.D., Big Bend Dam/Lake Sharpe, S.D.; Fort Randall Dam/Lake Francis Case, S.D.; and Gavins Point Dam/Lewis and Clark Lake, S.D. The draft reports identify and quantify surplus water availability at each of the locations.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, is providing 30-day notice that it will conduct a flow test of the Fort Peck Spillway in Montana during the week of Sept. 4. The test will help engineers determine whether a subdrain system that relieves potential pressure beneath the spillway is functioning properly. Set to begin the morning of Sept. 4, the test will consist of spillway releases of 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) up to 30,000 cfs at periodic intervals over a four-day timeframe.

The Final Garrison Dam/Lake Sakakawea Surplus Water Report, dated March 2011 is available for public review. The Final Report consists of two volumes and one addendum. Volume I contains the Final Surplus Water Report and Appendix A, the Final Environmental Assessment. Volume II contains Appendix B, which includes the Public and Agency Coordination Letters as well as copies of input received from Federal, Tribal, State and Local Interests.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, continues to further refine repair estimates and designs for the spillway structure and plunge pool at Fort Peck Dam in Montana. A contract for emergency repairs is anticipated to be awarded by the end of September.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, is currently designing interim repairs to the spillway structure of Fort Peck Dam in Montana. A contract for the repairs is anticipated to be awarded by the end of September.

The mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to deliver vital public and military engineering services; partnering in peace and war to strengthen our nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters.

About the Omaha District

The official public website of the Omaha District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers